The present invention relates generally to learning and replaying of infrared signals in a system with a remote controller and a controlled device. More particularly, the invention is directed to learning the signals of any standard, preset remote controller or controllers and replaying them to control the remote device or devices.
Remote controlled devices have become quite popular in recent years. A typical consumer may purchase a wide assortment of remote controlled devices including, but not limited to, televisions, video cassette recorders, and stereo systems. Each of these devices comes with its own, separate remote control. The consumer must keep a multiplicity of controllers readily at hand in order to enjoy the use of the purchased devices. As the number of remote controlled devices increases, the number of remote controllers becomes more and more of a nuisance.
Presently, universal remote controllers are available. These controllers will learn and later replay infrared patterns to control a group of remote devices. A problem that exists in the available universal remote controllers is that the timer hardware systems, built into the existing microprocessors used in these universal remote controllers, are too limited to perform universal remote control functions.